


i (don't) miss him

by determination



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/determination/pseuds/determination
Summary: Cid doesn't understand why everyone thinks he misses Nero. He doesn't. Does he?written for Cidnero week day 6. prompt: lonely
Relationships: Cid nan Garlond/Nero tol Scaeva
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42
Collections: Cidnero Week 2020





	i (don't) miss him

“Do you miss him?” Jessie asks. 

Cid nearly hammers his hand instead of the project he’d been crafting. The near mishap has Jessie pursing her lips to keep from laughing. “Miss who?” Cid pauses his work to frown at her. 

Jessie rolls her eyes, but the mischievous grin on her face betrays her amusement. “Who else?”

Cid continues to frown. He even deepens the frown for good measure. “Of course not. I don’t know why you’d bother asking me that.”

“You say that,” Jessie raises a brow, “But you’ve been working on the same spot for the past two bells. As far as I know, no one else has ever been able to so successfully keep you from your work. Whether they were present or not.”

Cid blinks at her, then blinks at the lack of progress he’d made, then blinks back at her. Hm. It would be fair to say he’s distracted, he supposes. But that doesn’t immediately equate to missing  _ him _ . It just means he’s preoccupied.

“I can already hear the excuses, Master Garlond,” Jessie laughs. “Save them. In case you need to explain yourself when he decides to show up.” Cid opens his mouth to protest, but she simply turns to leave. He can only sigh, setting down his hammer. 

Alpha, who had been watching him for some time now, trots over with a soft  _ kweh _ . Cid reaches out and pets the bird. “What does she know,” Cid grumbles. “Why would I miss that old fool? Ridiculous.”

Alpha tilts his head, curious.

\--

“Do you miss him?” 

This time, Wedge poses the question. Cid narrowly manages to avoid dropping his freshly brewed mug of coffee, then scrutinizes the lalafell. “... Not you, too…” He sighs and reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “What gave you that idea, lad?”

“You don’t usually fill the Boilmaster,” Wedge shrugs, unperturbed. “He’s the only one who’s ever nagged you over not filling it. Seemed a logical conclusion that maybe you’d gotten to thinking about him.”

Cid gives Wedge a sour look. “I simply wanted a cup of coffee, that’s all.”

Again, Wedge shrugs, though he looks a bit smug now. “Whatever you say, Chief.” 

After Wedge leaves, Cid stares at the mug in his hands. A moment later, Alpha wanders up beside him, brushing against his legs like an affectionate housecat. Cid can’t help but smile, squatting down to pet the chocobo.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Cid murmurs, taking a sip of coffee. “As if I’d ever miss  _ him _ . If he were here right now, he’d just be as insufferable as always.”

Alpha offers a consoling  _ kweh _ and rubs his head against Cid’s knee.

\--

“D’you miss him?” 

By the third time the question is asked, Cid is already quite tired of it. He stares up at Biggs with a bitter expression, and the roegadyn chuckles. “What? I was just wonderin’.”

Cid sighs yet again. “What is it this time?” There’s always something, isn’t there. Some sort of giveaway. An irrelevant detail that supposedly relates to  _ him _ .

“That.” With a sheepish grin, Biggs points to the brush Cid has been fiddling with. “It’s the one he made when the Warrior of Light was participating in Omega’s experiments, isn’t it?”

Cid freezes and instantly drops the brush. “No it’s not,” he says stiffly.

Alpha gives a quiet  _ kweh _ of affirmation, which earns a snicker from Biggs and a huff from Cid. “Traitor,” Cid grumbles and folds his arms across his chest.

“C’mon, Chief, it’s okay if you do. Miss him, that is,” Biggs says, patting Cid’s shoulder. “It’s understandable. We all got used to havin’ him here, I think.”

Frustrated (but resigned), Cid hangs his head. “I don’t know. Just… Would it kill him to stop by every so often? Considering he makes it so bloody impossible to contact him…”

“That he does,” Biggs laughs sympathetically. “Who knows, Chief. Reckon he’ll turn up eventually.”

After he leaves, Cid turns to Alpha, who appears to be playing a relatively uneventful game of tag with his toy Omega. Cid watches them wordlessly for a few seconds, then sighs. 

“I don’t suppose you have any idea where he is, do you?” 

Alpha stops abruptly, causing the toy to bump into the chocobo from behind. He tilts his head at Cid and gives a soft  _ kweh _ .

“Nevermind,” Cid smiles ruefully.

\--

“Did you miss me, Garlond?”

This time, Cid turns round with wide eyes, the voice so familiar, warmth washing over him. Nero stands there, smirking, with Alpha by his side. Alpha raises a wing in greeting and  _ kwehs _ happily.

_ I can’t believe you actually did it _ , Cid thinks, awed. He’ll have to be sure he thanks the chocobo later.

There’s a million things Cid could say. Explanations, excuses… But instead, he just walks over, a soft, conceding smile on his lips. “Yeah,” he murmurs, “I did.”


End file.
